The Shrugging Out Podcast

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

For as long as anyone can remember, political power in America has been wielded by two parties--Republican and Democrat. More than two just hasn't worked, not for very long.

Of course, within those two parties there have been factions and coalitions and the kind of churn you see in European politics. It's just that in the end, in America, the factions and coalitions generally churn themselves into lining up behind either the R or the D.

In this show, I argue that the parties are reconfiguring before our eyes, temporarily creating three blocs distributed across the two. And that, assuming American politics really can only support two major parties, the three blocs will soon realign. They'll still be called Republicans and Democrats, but not something your father would recognize.

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

The picture to the right, which I found after recording this show, is a fairly useful illustration of the variety of tribes in and around the dissident right.

In this episode:

What trends led to the rise of the dissident right?

What are the key issues motivating the DR?

Glossary of DR terms (so the Normies will know the difference between a bugman and a dindu)

Tribalism, and why it is important (not just for understanding the DR)

A mini-Who's Who in the dissident right

What is the future for the dissident right?

No big brain takes here, but a reasonably objective and balanced overview of the dissident right, I think. In the end, I'm generally, though not totally, supportive of the dissident right and the effect it is having in countering the Progressive Lefty bulldozer. (Though "acceleration"--a DR term referring to a deliberate hastening of The Collapse--may turn out to be a better strategy.)

Errata: I refer to Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, the surprise winner of the Democrat primary in New York's 19th Congressional district, as an "unwise Latina", which is correct, but I incorrectly name her "Gomez". Must have been thinking of the Addams Family patriarch.

Monday, May 28, 2018

Long time listeners of TSOP will remember Don, a friend of the show and a good friend of mine.

Don is a materials scientist and craftsman of the very first order. These days, he mostly works with wood, mostly using hand tools, which are a mixture of vintage, modern, and of his own design and manufacture. Don’s written multiple books on craftsmanship, and has an unbridled passion for wood finishes, with a conditional preference for hand-brushed or hand-rubbed shellac.

We recorded this show from the front porch of my home on Liberty Ridge. You may hear some sounds of nature in the background. Birds, mostly, though at one point my dog Lexi heard or smelled something in the woods and took off noisily to chase it.

Here are the questions I asked Don:

What brings you to Arkansas?

Trump—love him or hate him?

At least, thank God, we can trust the FBI....

John Derbyshire, Steve Sailer, the Z-man and others and the “dissident right? Are you a member too?

Is the Pope Catholic?

One year from now—what will be in the headlines?

What happened to Apu? (the Indian character on The Simpsons)

What makes shellac such a fantastic finish for wood?

Don’s a very thoughtful and articulate observer of American politics and culture, and we agree on most topics. I hope you enjoy his musings as much as I did.

Pictured: My new Nicholson bench, which I constructed during the Woodworking With Hand Tools workshop Don conducted recently in Northwest Arkansas.

Friday, May 18, 2018

As often as possible, the title for this show has an intentional double meaning. This one may be the best ever.

Spoiler alert—This podcast is actually a shaggy dog story, which means it’s extremely long-winded, contains extensive narration of irrelevant incidents, and terminates with a pointless punchline. You have been warned.

Seriously, the question posed by this episode is this: What type of world would we be living in if the phrase, "filing magazines" describes, to a majority of people, not the task of a librarian, but of a gunsmith?

Monday, April 16, 2018

As often as possible, the title for this show has an
intentional double meaning.

Diversity
Rules. On the one hand, we have the lofty concept of diversity, the policy of
encouraging tolerance for people from different backgrounds.Diversity is right.Diversity is just.Diversity makes us better.Diversity is our strength.

On the other hand, we have the pseudo-regulatory
aspect of diversity, the ever-shifting rules you are compelled to follow if you
want to avoid being hurled into the void.

Actually, the ever-shifting rules for diversity seem to have converged on one
meta-rule:people with the wrong ethnic background
or point of view must be ejected from modern organizations, or punished if circumstances mandate their presence."Wrong ethnic background or point of view" of course means white males, and anyone on the political right.

In this show we explore famous and everyday circumstances of diversity, and the foreseeable but never acknowledged negative consequences.

To listen to the podcasts

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